Capita plc has announced that it has secured a £7.7m 8-month extension to its contract to run the Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) programme in Scotland. Capita will continue to run the programme to March 2023.
Capita launched the Scottish JETS programme in January 2021 and since then, it has successfully supported over 4,000 job seekers, who had become unemployed due to the Covid 19 pandemic, into new roles in sectors, such as, hospitality, retail, care and construction.
JETS is a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) programme designed, following the pandemic, to support jobseekers across the UK, who have been unemployed for more than 13 weeks, find work.
Over the course of the extension, Capita will continue to work with Scottish supply chain partners – including The Wise Group, The Lennox Partnership and Reed in Partnership– to match jobseekers with skilled advisers who will provide specialist and local support tailored to their needs.
All jobseekers referred to JETS meet every 10 days with their adviser, who works with them to make them job ready and improve their knowledge, skills and confidence. JETS participants benefit from digital interview training and access to a Capita-developed online portal which features:
• Online learning which provides users with opportunities to get new qualifications for sectors of the economy that are growing.
• A skills library which enables users to measure their existing skills and knowledge to help them decide what the most appropriate online courses are for them to complete. • An AI-powered CV builder which links a user’s CV to a job feed to enable them to access employment opportunities.
• An action plan, devised with a user’s JETS employment adviser, and online calendar to track their progress.
Mims Davies MP, Minister for Employment, said: “It’s wonderful to see over 4,000 people, like Adam, across Scotland getting back into work thanks to our DWP JETS scheme.
“The £500m expansion of our Plan for Jobs will continue to deliver for people of all ages across the country – giving them tailored support to find that next opportunity and really progress in their careers.”
Andy Start, CEO Capita Public Service, said: “We are delighted that we have secured this extension to our JETS contract. I am proud that our team has helped over 4,000 jobseekers in Scotland into work.
“Every person Capita has supported into a new role, through our digital tools and our advisers, is now pursuing a rewarding career and developing their expertise further. In the coming months, we will help many more jobseekers get job ready by giving them the advice, support and skills they need to re-enter the workforce.
“The Covid-19 pandemic is not over and as we continue the rebuilding process, programmes like JETS are vital to securing the UK’s economic recovery. We will continue to use our extensive experience of delivering digital services, which support diverse groups of vulnerable people, to fulfil our role on the JETS programme in Scotland.”
Adam, a JETS participant who Capita has placed in work, said: “I hadn’t done many job interviews and I found them nerve wracking. I was in a very difficult cycle before I was with JETS, interviews wouldn’t go well and I didn’t know what to focus on for the next one. The JETS mock interviews and online training courses really helped to build my confidence.
“My JETS advisor always made me feel like there was time for me and she was giving me the help that I needed. I’ve already recommended the JETS scheme to other people in my life as a helping hand really does make a world of difference.”
Some of Capita’s JETS participants are dealing with mental health challenges. Capita offers these jobseekers free access to a digital mental health platform, designed by Kooth Digital Health, that provides immediate, anonymous access to self-help materials, an online community and professional support via accredited counsellors and emotional wellbeing practitioners.
Additionally, as part of Capita’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint, the business has pledged to fund the planting of a tree for each jobseeker it places in sustainable employment.
The trees will be planted through Revere, an innovative nature restoration finance organisation, across the Cairngorms, Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Parks and will help to combat climate change and biodiversity loss.